Deer have had favorable winter

Wednesday

Jan 2, 2013 at 12:01 AM

Thus far, winter has been favorable for area deer herds.

By MARK SPENCLEYmark@cheboygantribune.com

Thus far, winter has been favorable for area deer herds.The last week or so has produced more winter-like weather, but for the most part, this cold season has been a little warmer than average and snowfall totals are down. Both of these factors bode well for deer heading into the heart of winter.“Its been pretty good so far,” said Ashley Autenreith, deer specialist with the Department of Natural Resources. “Its early still, so there is a lot of winter left and things could change. Right now things look pretty good.”When it comes to deer, cold temperatures, snowfall, and wind chill are the deadly trinity of winter conditions. In most years they begin teaming up in late November, but this year has been an exception. When winter starts out mild, it allows deer to preserve their natural energy stores for later in the year.“In mild winters, deer don’t use their fat stores as quickly as they do when its really cold and their going through lots of snow,” said Hippler. “The less they use now, the more they have to use later.”Though deer have an exceptional jump start on the ill effects of winter, the next two and a half months will determine the outcome of this winter in regards to deer health.If conditions suddenly turn harsh and winter carries into spring, area deer could face a real challenge. The two biggest winter deer killers are starvation and birthing complications.The longer snow blankets the ground, the longer deer have to go without food. As the cold season stretches on and deer struggle to survive on low nutrient browse and any fat stores they have leftover from fall, signs of starvation can begin to appear in weak members of the herd.“People see deer in the winter with puffed out cheeks and think they look cute, but that’s actually a sign of starvation,” explained Hippler. Its impossible to predict the next few months, but odds are the deer herd will make it into spring in very good shape. That could net noticeable results for hunters next fall.In years when deer make it into spring in good physical condition, they tend to be healthier the following fall as well. That includes bucks sporting larger antlers.“Its really hard to predict antler sizes because there are so many variables,” Hippler noted. “Healthier deer do produce bigger antlers, but there is a lot more that goes into it.”